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Posted on: March 20, 2018

New Safety System Prompts Proposed Schedule Revision to BNSF Line

Village of WestmontDate Issued: March 20, 2018

The BNSF Line between Aurora and Chicago Union Station will be the first Metra line to have the new Positive Train Control (PTC) safety system fully operational. This enhancement will require a significant revision of the line’s schedule starting this summer.

PTC is a federally mandated safety system that will automatically stop a train if the engineer fails to obey a signal or exceeds the speed limit. The system integrates GPS, trackside sensors and communications units, onboard computers, and Metra’s centralized train dispatching system. PTC increases safety by preventing train-to-train collisions, unauthorized entry into work zones, and derailments due to speeding or moving through misaligned track switches.

Metra and BNSF Railway recently published the proposed weekday schedule revision on metrarail.com and asked for public comment. Feedback will be accepted at BNSFservice2018@metrarr.com until April 15. Metra may revise the proposal based on feedback, with a goal of implementing the new schedule by Summer.

In addition to adjusting the schedule for PTC, Metra and BNSF Railway are proposingother changes to relieve overcrowding on some of the busiest trains, match the schedule to actual operating conditions, and reduce railroad congestion near Cicero. As a result, there will be numerous minor changes to the total running times and the station stop patterns of trains. There will be no changes to weekend trains at this time.

To learn more about the Positive Train Control system and the proposed schedule changes, please visit metrarail.com.